Morphological change in an isolated population of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in Britain
The mechanical properties of dietary items are known to influence skull morphology, either through evolution or by phenotypic plasticity. Here, we investigated the impact of supplementary feeding of peanuts on the morphology of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) from five populations in Britain (North...
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The Royal Society
2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.240555 |
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| author | Kim E. Chandler Eloy Gálvez-López Stuart Black Andrew C. Kitchener Kat Hamill Bethan Roberts Sean Doherty Philip G. Cox |
| author_facet | Kim E. Chandler Eloy Gálvez-López Stuart Black Andrew C. Kitchener Kat Hamill Bethan Roberts Sean Doherty Philip G. Cox |
| author_sort | Kim E. Chandler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The mechanical properties of dietary items are known to influence skull morphology, either through evolution or by phenotypic plasticity. Here, we investigated the impact of supplementary feeding of peanuts on the morphology of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) from five populations in Britain (North Scotland, Borders, Jersey and two temporally distinct populations from Formby (Merseyside)). Stable isotope analysis confirmed dietary ecology in 58 specimens. Geometric morphometrics were used to analyse three-dimensional and two-dimensional shape variation across 113 crania and 388 mandibles, respectively. Nitrogen isotope ratios (δ15N) were lower in the 1990s and 2010s Formby squirrels (suggesting a diet with an increased proportion of peanuts), and higher in other populations. Significant differences in cranio-mandibular shape were found between all populations, with 1990s Formby red squirrels exhibiting a morphology associated with reduced masticatory efficiency. This effect was partially reversed following a reduction in supplementary feeding of peanuts. We propose that these morphological changes are related to the reduced mechanical effort needed to process peanuts relative to naturally occurring food items. This could be an example of diet-induced plastic changes to the skeleton in non-muroid wild mammals, although further research is needed to exclude other driving factors such as genetics. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f623550512414b1e9fd25255dd89c66f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
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| spelling | doaj-art-f623550512414b1e9fd25255dd89c66f2025-01-15T00:06:00ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032025-01-0112110.1098/rsos.240555Morphological change in an isolated population of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in BritainKim E. Chandler0Eloy Gálvez-López1Stuart Black2Andrew C. Kitchener3Kat Hamill4Bethan Roberts5Sean Doherty6Philip G. Cox7Hull York Medical School, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UKCentre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UKDepartment of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6EJ, UKDepartment of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, UKSchool of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG25 0QF, UKDepartment of Archaeology and History, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QJ, UKDepartment of Archaeology and History, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QJ, UKCentre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UKThe mechanical properties of dietary items are known to influence skull morphology, either through evolution or by phenotypic plasticity. Here, we investigated the impact of supplementary feeding of peanuts on the morphology of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) from five populations in Britain (North Scotland, Borders, Jersey and two temporally distinct populations from Formby (Merseyside)). Stable isotope analysis confirmed dietary ecology in 58 specimens. Geometric morphometrics were used to analyse three-dimensional and two-dimensional shape variation across 113 crania and 388 mandibles, respectively. Nitrogen isotope ratios (δ15N) were lower in the 1990s and 2010s Formby squirrels (suggesting a diet with an increased proportion of peanuts), and higher in other populations. Significant differences in cranio-mandibular shape were found between all populations, with 1990s Formby red squirrels exhibiting a morphology associated with reduced masticatory efficiency. This effect was partially reversed following a reduction in supplementary feeding of peanuts. We propose that these morphological changes are related to the reduced mechanical effort needed to process peanuts relative to naturally occurring food items. This could be an example of diet-induced plastic changes to the skeleton in non-muroid wild mammals, although further research is needed to exclude other driving factors such as genetics.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.240555skull morphologySciuridaegeometric morphometricsstable isotope analysisphenotypic plasticity |
| spellingShingle | Kim E. Chandler Eloy Gálvez-López Stuart Black Andrew C. Kitchener Kat Hamill Bethan Roberts Sean Doherty Philip G. Cox Morphological change in an isolated population of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in Britain Royal Society Open Science skull morphology Sciuridae geometric morphometrics stable isotope analysis phenotypic plasticity |
| title | Morphological change in an isolated population of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in Britain |
| title_full | Morphological change in an isolated population of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in Britain |
| title_fullStr | Morphological change in an isolated population of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in Britain |
| title_full_unstemmed | Morphological change in an isolated population of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in Britain |
| title_short | Morphological change in an isolated population of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in Britain |
| title_sort | morphological change in an isolated population of red squirrels sciurus vulgaris in britain |
| topic | skull morphology Sciuridae geometric morphometrics stable isotope analysis phenotypic plasticity |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.240555 |
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